What Lies Beneath
by Touch of the Wind
Summary: Elliot has been involved with a lot of cases during his time in the Special Victims Unit, however, Connor Kramer struck something deep inside Elliot and he can't help but be affected by this teenager.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **This is an Angel/Law and Order SVU story.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Law and Order belongs to Dick Wolf and Angel to Joss Whedon.

**Rating: **Mature (rated for warnings)

**Warning: **Non-con (though not graphic), paedophilia, abuse, slash and language**. **

**Summary: **Elliot has been involved with a lot of cases during his time in the Special Victims Unit, however, Connor Kramer struck something deep inside Elliot and he can't help but be affected by this teenager. Can Elliot figure out what is going on with Connor and will Elliot be able to handle the secrets that this teenager has hidden behind those blue eyes?

**Set: **During season 5 of Angel, and during season 1 of SVU mainly because I haven't watched many episodes.

**Additional Notes: **This story will be about a very delicate topic and I haven't written this kind of thing before so feedback is greatly appreciated.

**Chapter 1**

Elliot Stabler sat at his desk looking through various files which called for their attention. Often the team would get cold cases when things were slow- most cases of sexual assault were not a job for a whole team and usually two were placed onto cold cases until another job came in. The buzz of the station room sounded around him, the clacking of keyboards and the ringing of phones with the chatter of people added in. It was the noses heard every day in the station and it was strangely comforting to Elliot.

Olivia was sat at her desk, her nose buried in a file as her dark eyes scanned over the content. Elliot gave a sigh- he hated cold cases. During any down time at the station he would much prefer it to spend time at home with his family. He was called away often enough during his actual personal time. It was then that Cragen walked in with his face set into a grim line and stopped in front of their desks.

"We just got a call in from Joseph Adams High School; they have a missing student and have found a partially nude picture of the boy," Cragen said as they moved to get their coats on.

"How long has he been missing?" Elliot asked as he pulled his jacket on.

"Only since this morning. He was seen in Homeroom but neglected to show up for his other lessons," Cragen replied walking beside them as they all headed out of the station room, "once this gets out the press will have a field day. The school was in the papers for a teacher being racist towards a student last year."

Elliot and Olivia nodded and slipped into Elliot's car and pulled away from the station. It was only a 40 minute drive to the school and soon enough they were pulling up outside the school. It looked like a typical school- it wasn't posh or downtrodden but normal. Elliot sighed and got out of the car and with Olivia at his side headed into the school.

Standing inside the doors waiting for them was a man- the man was only small in height- a couple of inches shorter than Olivia, yet he was round and chubby, his face showing laugh lines and immediately the detectives knew that this man was the Headmaster, Leo Harson. They had read about Harson in the small file Cragen had given them about the school which Olivia had read on their way over.

"Detectives, I am Leo Harson, Headmaster of Joseph Adams," the man greeted. His voice was smooth and cultured but there was a slight rasp to it. Probably from smoking early on in life.

"I am Elliot Stabler, and this is my partner Olivia Benson," Elliot nodded to Olivia who nodded at the man.

"If you would follow me, I think the conversation we are about to have would be best behind closed doors," Leo said and they headed off into a small office. The office was a typical Headmaster's office. Plain, a plant, a desk, computer, and filing cabinets.

Sitting down they skipped the niceties and got straight down to business.

"Start with telling me what happened," Olivia started. Leo gave a sigh and began to talk.

"I had been called down to the basement by the janitors. They had been cleaning out some of the old equipment and once of them had come across some bits which weren't meant to be down there," Leo explained, "they said it was an inflatable mattress and some blankets. I figured we had someone squatting in the school and went down to get it cleaned up."

"Were there any stains on the blankets or bed? Any blood? Semen?" Olivia cut in. Leo shook his head.

"The blankets looked new, which is why instead of just throwing them out I began to look around the area. If it was someone squatting they wouldn't have been new blankets," Leo said. It was somewhat logical.

"And is this when you found the picture?" Elliot ventured.

"Yes," Leo sighed, "It was tucked underneath some old gym mats."

Leo then pulled a picture from the desk draw and handed it over to the detectives. Elliot took the picture gingerly as Olivia leaned closer to see the image.

The boy in the image was blurry and unfocused. They could make out pale skin, brown hair, blue eyes, and the weary fear on the boys face. The boy was only in his boxers, sat on the floor in what Elliot assumed was the basement.

"Do you believe this was taken in the basement?" Elliot asked.

"Yes, I recognise where the picture was taken," Leo nodded sadly.

"What happened once you found the picture?" Olivia questioned.

"I told the janitors to stop clearing things and go to classroom 2B and wait for me there," Leo began, "only Marvin, who had been helping me look, had seen the picture. Marvin is the Supervisor of the Janitorial staff. He said he would keep them in order until I came. That's when I called the teacher who was meant to be teaching the boy. He hadn't appeared in the class- when I checked further no-one had seen him since Homeroom. That's when I called the police."

"Is anyone else missing today?" Olivia inquired.

"We are still checking through all the students but we haven't come across any yet which are absent without notification or after Homeroom," Leo answered, "I'll give you a list of all students absent today though. You may be able to glean something from the list."

"And the students name is Connor Kramer*, correct?" Elliot prompted.

"Yes, Connor Kramer, age 16. Transferred to this school 6 months ago. His parents, DeEtta and Stephen Kramer* disappeared. Connor lives with his uncle, Bryce Kramer. I have tried to contact him but have been unable to get in contact with him. My assistant, Beth, is going to continue trying," Leo replied.

"Olivia, call Fin and Munch, and have them go to the Kramer residence and see if anyone is there," Elliot took command, "Mr Harson, can you show me down to the basement?"

Leo nodded and began to lead Elliot out of the office, leaving Olivia on the phone. Olivia would know to have Beth, the assistant show her to Connor's files and locker. They had to find this teen- before something bad happened.

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*Kramer is the last name of the woman who Darla was pretending to be in the episode 'Dear Boy' of Angel. Stephen is the actor who was pretending to be Darla's husband. I thought using these as Connor's parents made a nice change.

Important: This story is something which has played on my mind for a while and I want to do this justice and handle this subject with care. This does mean that updates may be more spaced out and every review on this story will be greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Olivia was lead by Beth, Leo's secretary, into classroom 2B where 5 men sat drinking coffee. Beth was a petite thin blonde with pale skin and she motioned for one of the larger men, who had a balding patch in his grey hair, to come over.

"Detective Benson, this is Marvin Decker," Beth introduced and the man held his hand out and Olivia gave it a firm shake.

"Hello, can I have a word with you in the hall?" Olivia asked the man who nodded and they followed Beth into the hall and she trotted in her heels down towards her office.

"Mr Decker, can you tell me your version of how the picture was found?" Olivia prompted.

"Me and the boys were cleaning out some of the old equipment- we're getting some new ones in and needed the space. Most of the equipment hadn't been used in years. I was pulling some of the old ropes from the gym mats when I noticed an inflatable mattress and some blankets. I figured someone was squatting or some of the kids were using it," Marvin said in a deep gravely voice. Yet his tone was not unkind- more upset. The events of the day had shaken the man.

"I called down Leo and he looked over the stuff and he said it probably weren't squatters because the blankets were new and we hadn't got any blankets like the in the school. The ones in the nurse's office are blue- not green," Marvin continued.

"He told me to look around- so I started looking through some boxes. Leo didn't say what we were looking for but I figured that it was probably some kids using the bed for a little action. Thought there would be some condoms or something around. Leo found the picture with the gym mats," Marvin finished.

"Has anyone else been in that area recently?" Olivia questioned.

"No, it's the far end of the basement which is for storage and roughly twice a year we give it a clean just to keep it from getting too dusty, last time we cleaned it was November," Marvin replied.

"Did you recognise the boy in the picture?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, his name is Connor I think. He often stays back after school finishes to hang in the art room. Heard he's quite the artist," Marvin said with a small smile, "he was always so polite whenever he saw me or one of the boys."

"Have you seen any other people around Connor? Teachers? Students? Anyone?" Olivia pressed.

"I don't really see him around students- he tends to keep to himself from what I've seen. His art teacher, though, seems to be around him quite a bit," Marvin replied.

"Got a name of this teacher?" Olivia asked.

"Tate- don't know their first name but last name is Tate," Marvin answered.

"Thanks, Mr. Decker. I would prefer it if you and your men would stay on the grounds until we have gotten everyone's statements and thoroughly checked through the basement for more evidence," Olivia told the man who nodded as if he expected that.

Olivia's phone rang as the man made his way back into classroom 2B.

"Benson," she greeted.

"_Hey, it's Fin. We're on route to the Kramer residence and one of the tech guys found out that Bryce Kramer, the uncle, is out of town at the moment. He's due back tonight. We're gonna check the home anyway in case the kid's there."_

"Alright, ring the station and get his flight details. Let's have him picked up at the airport if Connor's not found by then," Olivia stated.

"_Thought so much- the station is working on it now," _Fin replied.

"I'm gonna go and see Elliot before we head and talk to the art teacher. Ring if you get anything," Olivia said goodbye and hung up before making her way to the basement.

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Elliot walked through the musty basement. It was clean as far as basements went. The floor was clear and there wasn't any visible build ups of dust- not until you got towards the back. It seemed that everything which wasn't used regularly was placed nearer the back where Leo Harson was leading him.

Leo directed him to a small area- there were gym mats piled high and crates which held old gym equipment staked up. Elliot could see over the top of some stacks and others he could not. It would be easy to hide down here if someone did come in while people where down here. They would just have to stay on the mattress and keep quiet.

Said mattress was tucked into a corner created by some stacks, positioned slightly away from the stacks so not to knock them. The stacks effectively blocked the area and unless someone specifically came into the area they would not see the mattress. Whoever had placed it here had thought clearly about it.

Elliot knelt down and looked around, if someone had disturbed them then they might need to keep Connor quiet which meant something would have to be in reach. Elliot snapped on his gloves and began to look between the stacks and run his hands over some of the boxes looking for something which would indicate anything. Moving carefully and without missing a detail he stood up with a sigh and looked further up the stacks when his searched proved fruitless.

"Mr. Harson, where did you find the photo exactly?" Elliot asked looking around at several of the gym mat piles. The older man pointed to a stack which had been messed slightly and it was then that Elliot noticed the red frame of door which the picture showed Connor sitting against. Squeezing through the pile of gym mates he moved and pulled out the picture and looked closely. It was defiantly taken here.

The red framed doors let to a section which held various equipment which could have been from shop class, the AV club and such but the dust gathering on them told the detective that they were rarely used. The area didn't bring up any clues but there was a cupboard that the detective found. One which had very little dust on it and immediately Elliot looked inside it.

Rooting through the drawers Elliot found a box of condoms which were empty and a tube of lube which was also empty and from the faded look on them Elliot figured they had been there many years. So probably not for this incident but from kids using the basement for a little fun some time ago. However, his search was not fruitless and soon he had a small bottle of pills in his hand, the bottle was not labelled and Elliot figured it was some sort of drug, might be for a junkie but it might be for their case.

It was then that Olivia came down as Elliot was placing the bottle into one of the evidence bags. She nodded at Leo and headed towards him.

"Found some pills down here; think we'll need to get the Crime Scene unit down here to dust for prints and such. There will be a lot but it'll help us narrow down suspects," Elliot said.

"Talked to Mr. Decker, the janitor, his story matches Mr. Harson's," Olivia told him, "I was told by him that Connor often stays after school for Art, I was thinking we can ask his teacher about him."

"Right, you get the info for this teacher and I'll call the station for a team," Elliot said as he pulled out his phone.

While he waited for the team to be assigned their case he looked around at the room. Large with plenty of cover and thick walls, two staircases to reach the basement level meant privacy with warning of people coming down. No cameras and no windows, lights which were scattered around leaving some areas cast into shadow but not dark enough that it would be troublesome for someone who knew the layout of the room. An ideal place for hiding.

As the information was put through and a team dispatched to the school he moved towards Olivia who was talking quietly with Leo. She smiled and nodded and the man left the room.

They walked from the room and Elliot couldn't help but feel anger as he thought of the basement and what could have happened down there. They didn't know if this was a rape case or not but Elliot's gut feeling was that it was. He seen to many cases which were similar.

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So, please let me know what you think of this update! My first update of 2011! I hope everyone had a nice holiday!


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